violet parrot
I can’t connect to the multiplayer servers in Synth Riders on Steam. It used to work fine before—only occasional issues—but it’s been broken for a long time now. I’m a player from China, and many friends in my group are having the same problem. We’ve tried everything we can and have to ask for your help!
main ivy
I can’t connect to the multiplayer servers in Synth Riders on Steam. It used to ...
Are you able to open a web browser connection to services.synthriders.net?
If you are playing from within China, you will need to have access to that server in order for the game to work. It’s possible that it is not allowed.
The other question is whether you are allowed to access all the Photon multiplayer servers from China - and that will depend!
If you are behind the firewall of China it’s possible that any or all of these are not available to you,
If you can see scores on the leaderboards but not access multiplayer then the problem is Photon access.
Let me know what you find!
Xiexie ni!
main ivy
You’re on Steam right?
Not Pico
Pico is the only mainland China option that I know of that could work, because the servers are hosted with Pico’s help to comply with government in China
I would like to see what is in your log - if anything! Look for an AppLog.txt file (can be more than one) under in the game install folder
violet parrot
@main ivy Great news! I can now successfully access https://services.synthriders.net/ in my browser (it shows "Synth Riders API"). I will restart Steam and the game to test the multiplayer again. I'll let you know the result soon!
main ivy
<@304600156546793473> Great news! I can now successfully access https://services...
This is the first part. If you can see that you can see the leaderboard and multiplayer services!
Without that you can’t. So that’s the start. Next is Photon, but see how you go next.
violet parrot
@main ivy I can now see the leaderboard and other players' lobbies in the game, but I still can't join any of them—it keeps saying "failed to connect to server". I also can't create my own lobby, and it shows the same error message. The core server services.synthriders.net is accessible now, but the Photon multiplayer connection still doesn't work..
main ivy
<@304600156546793473> I can now see the leaderboard and other players' lobbies i...
What version are you on? Check in settings bottom left corner. There is an additional server you need to see now too.
If you can see the room list, then you can see Photon which is a start
violet parrot
@main ivy I just realized I'm currently using the open-beta version of the game (the opt-in beta for early patch access). Could this version difference be affecting the Photon multiplayer connection? I can see the leaderboard and other players' lobbies, but still can't join or create any lobbies (it keeps showing "failed to connect to server").
main ivy
No, that’s fine
You just can’t play with anyone on version 3.5
Can you enter the Player or Challenges menu and see that?
That is the other service you need to see now
violet parrot
@main ivy Yes, I can successfully access the "Player" and "Challenges" menus in the game. I can also see the leaderboard and player lobbies, but I still cannot join or create any rooms due to the "Failed to connect to server" error.
main ivy
Sounds like maybe partial photon access.
We may have to look up what you need for PUN2
These are all the ports needs for PUN 2
I may still need to see your log file too
How long has this been broken for you?
violet parrot
@main ivy This issue has been going on for a few weeks now. It used to work fine before without any accelerator or proxy. I can provide the log file if you tell me where to find it in the game files. I really hope there's a way to fix this without third-party tools, as many Chinese players are facing the same problem.
main ivy
<@304600156546793473> This issue has been going on for a few weeks now. It used ...
If the GFC gets in the way, you know how it is 🙁
violet parrot
@main ivy I found the log files in the game's installation directory! The folder is: E:\VR\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\SynthRiders. I have the "ErrorLog" text file and will check the SynthRiders_Data folder too. Here is the connection error I found: [Paste the error content here]
main ivy
Makes sense - those SSL connections are services being blocked.
I note this in Photon's documents for PUN 2
Which is why I am surprised you've been able to play at all with voice from inside China without a proxy
We had to do very specific things to allow multiplayer for China, and part of that was having a server hosted inside China that was separate to the rest of the world.
violet parrot
@main ivy Now I fully understand! If I don't use a proxy or accelerator, I can't play multiplayer at all. But I have a question: if I only want to play with other Chinese players, is there still a way to connect without a proxy/accelerator? Or is the China server also blocked now?
main ivy
<@304600156546793473> Now I fully understand! If I don't use a proxy or accelera...
The only China server was available for players using a Pico headset in standalone
Not for Steam
Because Pico own that server - not us.
China will not allow a company from outside China to own a multiplayer server for China players
You could check whether you can resolve the host where our multiplayer runs from. In a command window see if you can get an IP adress for nslookup ns-usw.photonengine.io
Our multiplayer has always gone through US West servers for Photon so all regions play together.
violet parrot
@main ivy Thank you so much for your patience and all the help you've given me! I completely understand the situation now. Even though we couldn't fix it without a proxy, I really appreciate you taking the time to explain everything in detail. I'll try using an accelerator to play multiplayer later. It's a bit of a shame, but I'm glad I know what's going on now. Have a great day!
main ivy
<@304600156546793473> Thank you so much for your patience and all the help you'v...
You are welcome! I wish there was a better solution - if I could figure out a way we could offer the services native to China, that would be great! But hopefully you can use a proxy and maybe come play with me sometime! Wǒ huì shuō yīdiǎn pǔtōnghuà——wǒ xūyào liànxí!
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stable hingeBOT
I've picked this report up and logged it for the team. Thanks for the report! -- 🤖